Trust Me
by femurdreamer
Summary: What would have happened in Two Bodies in the Lab had Booth not been blown up.
1. Remembering

"Bones, where do you keep the glasses?"

"In the cabinet next to the fridge." Booth reached for the handle with his right hand and opened the fridge with his left. He pulled out a tumbler taking note of how the glasses were arranged in a very meticulous pattern: a row of six then a row of five just like the stars on the flag. _Hot Blooded_ still flooded the apartment, and Booth cursed Bones' choice of beverages. "Turkish beer, store-brand cola, and distilled water—how does she live with no T.V. and nothing to drink?"

He decided on the cola and slammed the door. The awkward moment that had previously presented itself still hung in the air when he walked back to the couch. Brennan was sorting through the CDs she thought Booth would enjoy and chose some smooth jazz to lighten the mood.

"So it's 10:30, and I'm not tired. What do you want to do?"

"Hmm let's see you don't have TV, no good music, obviously board games are out of the question…do you have playing cards?"

"Oh yes I do. I got them in Indonesia when I was there identifying victims after the tsunami last year."

"Do they at least have numbers on them?"

"In a way…"

The partners sat for dozens of songs playing Go Fish, the only game Brennan knew. She had beaten Booth at 9 games out of 13 because according to Booth having to remember which number of dots on the card corresponded to which numbers was just too confusing. At 12:30 Brennan announced she was going to bed and that Booth was welcome to sleep on the couch and there were blankets and pillows in the closet by the bathroom. "Oh no Bones I'm not sleeping, not tonight. I'm a light sleeper, but there's no way I'll be able to protect you if I'm groggy."

"But how will you protect me tomorrow if you're falling asleep on my shoulder?"

"Old Ranger technique, Bones, I'll be up all night and still feel awake in the morning."

"Fine. Goodnight Booth."

"'Night Bones."

Brennan retreated into her room closing the blinds and keeping her door ajar so Booth could hear if anything went wrong. She climbed under the sheets and clicked off the light. She heard Booth turning the pages of her anthropology magazines and swirling the ice in his empty glass, but even the noise couldn't shake the horrible thoughts out of her mind._ Was it four shots or five? There was so much broken glass. Who shot at me? Where was David? He was so late. Why was the girl murdered? There's so much to do at the lab tomorrow, Zach can't handle it by himself._ Brennan kept telling herself to close her mind and fall asleep all the while Booth was desperately trying to stay awake. _"Old Ranger technique?" Who the hell was I kidding? I've never stayed awake all night. No Booth, eyes open! I know, music will help. _He dug through the layers of CDs on Brennan's shelf until he found another "guilty pleasure" and stuck it in the player. Booth turned the volume all the way down or what he thought was down and paused the music. He spotted a pair or headphones on the side table.

Brennan was going over every detail of the twenty second shooting thinking about every emotion, sound, and feeling she could remember. Booth found the hole for the headphone jack, and just as he stuck the jack in Brennan was counting the shots. _One, two, three, four… _BOOM! As Brennan counted the last shot, Booth inserted the jack into the stereo which he had accidentally turned all the way up made a huge noise that echoed throughout the apartment. Brennan leapt out of bed panting and terrified desperately hoping it was Booth who had fired the shot.


	2. Comfort

Booth hit the stereo off laughing a little at himself. Then he heard Brennan's coarse breathing from the bedroom. As he slowly pushed the door open he could smell the nervous sweat and realized what Brennan must have thought the noise was.

"Bones, it's ok. It was only the stereo. I had the volume turned up really high and I didn't notice." She was sitting so still she was shaking. With both hands on her bed and her head slightly down she whispered, "I thought it was another shot—in the apartment—I was reliving it."

"It's alright. I'm here." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and lightly ran his hands up and down her back, but she was still frozen staring into the living room. Her body was stiff like a shell, and Booth felt like he was going to break her just by holding her.

"I'm ok. Just give me a minute to calm down." Her words were shaky. She was trying to compartmentalize. _Come on Tempe, it was just the stereo. Be rational. Booth is here to protect you. Booth. _On her last thought she realized that Booth was holding her. She felt warm and safe. Like none of it had ever happened.

"Bones, do you want me to get you some water?" Her mouth was so dry, but she couldn't bear the cold feeling when he left.

"No, I'm alright please stay here with me."

"Let me just move a little so I can see the living room." He was too focused on the job, and he couldn't see how it was affecting her. Shifting his weight, she braced for the feat but felt none as Booth draped his arm casually around her shoulders.

"You need to get some sleep, Bones. If you decide to go back to the lab tomorrow you need to be wide awake just like you told me."

"You're right." Brennan leaned back onto the sweat-drenched pillows hoping Booth couldn't smell it. Booth walked slowly to the door.

"Go to sleep. You're safe as long as I'm here. Trust me.'

***

"Good morning Dr. Brennan."

"Good morning Zack. Has the bullet hole been cleaned properly like I asked?"

"Geez sweetie, it's always nice to start with 'Good morning. _How are you Zack_?" insisted Angela as she climbed the stairs of the platform.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Well who could with Booth around? I would pay to have him _protect_ me all night long."

"Yes Dr. Brennan, I spent hours on the wound until it was perfect like you told me."

"Great work Zack. And no Angela it wasn't like that. Booth kept making noise that kept me up, and then he did something with the stereo that scared the living dynamite out of me."

"_Daylight _Sweetie.

"What's this?" whispered Brennan examining the skull with a magnifying glass. She twisted the skull around in her hands trying to get a better look at the marks. Her eyes squinted at the gouge marks on the eye sockets as she ran a gloved finger over each jagged edge.

"Dr. Brennan," shouted Hodgins. Brennan jumped and nearly dropped the skull on the platform floor, "there were steel particulates imbedded in the eye sockets." Angela noticed the jump.

"Thank you. Does that let us know what was used to remove the eyes?"

"Well no. Nearly all knives are made out of steel."

"Then you haven't found anything useful," barked Brennan.

"Bren, go home. Have a drink. Go back to bed. Clearly you need it, and you're in no condition to work. Oh, and let Booth stay with you again tonight. Let him do his job and protect you. Trust me."

"Fine." She snapped off her gloves and stomped down to her office. _I should tell Booth I'm going home. _When she finished her thought, her phone rang. _Booth._

"Brennan."

"Where are you? Are you still at the lab?"

"Angela's making me go home. I was just about to leave to grab some Thai food."

"No. You're not going anywhere without me. I will pick up some food and take you to your apartment."

"Come on Booth. I don't need a babysitter."

"I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Well you're not doing a great job of that right now."

"Just stay in the lab."

Brennan ended the call and sank into her desk chair. _I guess I'll just stay in the lab._


	3. Hostile

"I got the food, now get in the car."

"Just take me home so I we can eat. I haven't had anything since yesterday afternoon because clearly I didn't have dinner."

"I need to make a stop first, so go ahead and crack open the wontons as long as you don't spill; I just had the floor mats shampooed. There's some paperwork about the witnesses of the shooting I have to give to Cullen, so you have to come with me. It'll only take a second."

"I still don't see why you have to drive me around and stay in my apartment and drink my soda. So I'm a little stressed right now…I can handle myself."

"I told you, until we clear the witnesses and investigate your date more thoroughly—"

"David had nothing to do with it. I don't think of him as a threat."

"Well I do, and that's all that matters."

The partners pulled up to the Hoover building, and Brennan opened and slammed her door with a huff. They were in total silence until the two reached the door. Booth swung it open and shuffled her along with his hand. "I'm not a dog you can just lead around," Brennan snapped.

"I wasn't trying to lead you around, I was just being nice. A little thing you seem to be lacking since this whole mess started up." She knew she was being a terrible person, but Booth being around all the time 'doing his job' made her feel like she was with a different person. Not Booth, FBI agent and partner. More like Booth, protector, knight, comforter, friend.

The way he moved when he was upset was odd. He walked faster, picked his feet up higher, stood up straighter, and had the expression of a crazed bear on the hunt. Agents said hello and he mumbled back a meager greeting. When they reached the elevator they were the only two waiting. The shiny doors slid open and Brennan slid her way inside before Booth could usher her in. _There's never any music in here, _thought Brennan as she felt the silence flood the tiny car.

"Wait here." Brennan sat on the cold metal bench and watched a man and a woman discuss a bomb threat on a bank while waiting for the up elevator. She had met the man. His name was Mark. The woman looked familiar, but Brennan couldn't figure a name. Before the elevator arrived, Booth was back. He looked more upset. Cullen always upset him. Brennan figured he was intimidated by his boss although she found Cullen to be quite ignorant and small.

The elevator ride down was less awkward but still filled with tension. _Like I couldn't have waited in the car for those thirty seconds. It would have saved an argument, and I could've had some wontons._ When they were in the car, Brennan took the doggy-bag off the back seat and started rooting through it to find the plum sauce.

"There's no sauce."

"Yes there is, did you check the bottom?" Brennan looked some more.

"Oh, found it."

"You see, they remembered the sauce. They have never forgotten it, and they never will." She looked at him and rolled her eyes. His attitude was getting out of control. Brennan picked up the little plastic cup and eased the lid slightly. She could tell Booth was watching out of the corner of his eye. The cup made a little sizzle noise as Brennan eased it more.

"Be careful, Bones. Don't make that spurt all over the car." That set here over the edge, and she flipped the lid off causing little droplets to fly all over the dashboard and onto the floor mats.

"Jesus Bones I told you not to spill! And what did you do, you spilled. Great, thanks," shouted Booth swerving into the right lane cutting off a car.

"Look I'm sorry Booth. I know I'm not good at this whole psychology thing, but you're obviously not being so hostile because of some sauce. Is it me? Is it Cullen? Because it seems like you're always pissed off whenever you talk to him. Is it the case?"

"You know it's the case. Now can we just drop this please? I don't feel like discussing this with you. I really don't." They sat in silence for what seemed like hours. Finally Booth whipped out his phone and dialed the bureau. "Ya, this is Booth. I need a unit to survey an apartment for the rest of the evening and the night. Oh, he's not? Thank you." With the snap of the phone shutting, Brennan felt the hurt that Booth didn't want to stay with her. She didn't want him to in the first place, but she'd rather have her friend than some agent.

"Kenton is busy this evening, so Agent Landon will be staying with you."

"What about 'you won't let me out of your sight'?"

"I can't even stand to be around you right now."


	4. A Lot to Take In

The surveillance was already at Brennan's apartment when Booth screeched to halt in front of the sidewalk. Agent Landon was slightly shorter, slightly younger and slightly larger around the middle than Booth. He had dirty blonde hair that was graying on the sides which brought out the bags under his eyes accompanied by deep smile lines.

"Dr. Brennan, I'm Agent Bill Landon. Agent Booth has requested that I provide security for the night. I will remain in the hallway of your floor if you would like.'

"Um yes he did. And you can come inside if you'd like. The hallway can get quite boring. Not that I would know; I don't spend much time there. Unless I have a lot to bring in or take out then I do spent a few extra moments, and it's never exited me. Although one time a couple was fighting and I could hear it while walking--"

"They warned me you would do that."

"Who warned you I would do what?"

"Dr. Brennan, most of the agents at the bureau have come to consider you a very literal person."

"Yes, I know. I find speaking figuratively causes ambiguity." Landon just snickered at her comments. They climbed up the stairs to the third floor and walked rather slowly down to Brennan's door. Brennan ushered Landon into the quiet room. He walked just like Booth did when was angry; great posture, high knees, confident look. But _he _looked arrogant when he moved, not swift and commanding like her partner.

"Do you think I could have something to drink Dr. Brennan? Water or lemonade maybe?"

"Sure let me get that for you, and please call me Temperance." She had no lemonade and the water was distilled that she meant to take into the lab for cleaning bones. "Is beer alright?'

"That would be wonderful, Dr. Bren—Temperance."

Booth's glass was still on the coffee table. It seemed like an embarrassment to the living room. Not a single thing out of place except for that glass. Booth's glass.

"Here you go Agent Landon. Please feel free to...sit…I don't have a television. I'll be in the bedroom making a few phone calls if you need anything."

"Don't worry about me. And good thing about the TV, I can stay totally focused on my job."

Once in her bedroom, Brennan called Angela to talk about Booth's anger issues.

"Hey Ange, I need some advice about Booth."

"What, are you finally ready to jump his bones?"

"No, it's just that when he picked me up from the lab…"Brennan recounted the entire story.

"I totally hear what you're saying sweetie, but I think you need to go back and listen to yourself. Booth said he was upset about the case, so what can you infer from that?"

"I don't know, he doesn't want to be eaten by dogs? I hate it when you ask me questions you already know the answer to, but you make me figure it out on my own. It's a societal technique of establishing dominance; I do it to Zack all the time."

"You said that Booth made you come inside with him for just a few seconds, and he got another agent, who by the way sounds very cute, to come over really quickly… I'll just tell you this one. Booth obviously cares enough about you to watch over you himself and your safety means a lot to him. He's stressed about not being able to keep you alive."

"So Booth cares about me."

"A lot."

"Booth cares about me a lot, and he's worried that he can't protect my life."

"Exactly. Now do you have an answer to my first question? Why is Booth so upset about this case?"

"He was distressed when we were examining the girl. He mentioned that he had seen this before. He's afraid I'm going to die. Like one of the girls if he can't protect me."

"Is it starting to make sense now? Can you connect all the pieces?"

"I feel like I need to apologize to Booth, but I don't know what for."

"It'll come to you when you see him."

"Okay, but one more thing. If Booth is so concerned and he cares so much, why did he call Agent Landon?"

"That's something you need to ask Booth. I love you Sweetie. Please just go and see him and apologize even if you don't know what to apologize for." Brennan promised she would and said her goodbye.

"Agent Landon? I'm needed at the lab right away for some problem with a patella. Feel free to go home if you want, Booth said he would meet me at the lab. And thanks for coming all this way for just a few minutes." Before Landon could interject she was out the door into the hallway where nothing of interest was happening.

***

Before too long Brennan was knocking on Booth's door. She still hadn't figured out what to apologize for and was getting nervous as his footsteps got closer.

"Hey Bones! What're you doing here? Is everything ok? Where's Landon?" Booth questioned bubbly.

_What happened to 'I can't even be around you right now'? _"Ya, I'm okay. I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"

"Yes, please do. I need to talk to you first. Sit down I'll get you a drink," he kept talking as he went to the fridge and took out two cans of Coke, "The second I left your place I got this horrible feeling that I had done something wrong although I felt justified. I kept thinking that I had nothing to apologize for and that I was just doing my job. But when I got in here and contemplated it for a while I realized the reason I snapped was because I am so afraid of losing you and not having you as a friend that I was actually mad at myself for being rude to you about David and the thing with the door. So what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry for yelling at you and saying I didn't want to be around you because as it turns out I care too much about you to not be around you."

"Well that's a lot to take in. I was just about to tell you the same thing. However, I didn't come up with it on my own; I had to have Angela help me."

"All that's important to me is that you do feel that way, Bones."

"I still have two questions you haven't answered: why did you call for another agent and why does this case disturb you so much?"


	5. Eventful

Booth looked at her with dumbstruck eyes. Brennan had an odd expression of fear combined with adoration. The same look she had when they interrogated a witness. For minutes Booth couldn't think of an answer to her question, yet it was so simple. Why did he call for Agent Landon?

"The thing is I… I… well I really don't know, I called for a replacement because I was mad. Really mad. But just in the moment. I wasn't mad at you though, I just want to make that clear.'

"Yes, understood. Go on."

"So I called because…that's the thing though, Bones, I really don't know. Every argument we've had before we've gotten over in minutes. There was no reason for me to lose my temper with you over a door and then a little spill which by the way didn't stain anything."

"Booth, you already said that. Can I help you out with this Landon thing?" Brennan sighed deeply, "Angela told me that when I saw you I would know why, and I didn't really believe her. Now I see that you can't let yourself be mad at me and still be my friend, so in order to be cordial you had to remove your emotions."

"Okay, Spock. I think I get it."

"I don't know what that means."

"Never mind. I knew you had a little thing for psychology."

"You're wrong, that's not psychology. That's all Angela talking." Booth didn't respond, he just flashed his signature smile and took a swig of beer. His smile always made everything better. It even made up for his peculiar apology.

They sat in silence again for the third time that day. This time it was peaceful.

***

"Good morning Zack," chimed Brennan as she tied her hair into a ponytail.

"Good morning Dr. Brennan. I'm glad to see you back at work."

"Booth let me come in because they have a prime suspect in custody. After you and Hodgins found that the tool used to remove the eyes of the victim had a nick in it, Agent Kenton suspected a man who has a collection of thousands of keys who was involved in the original investigation. Booth says they can't hold him overnight unless they find the gun used in the murder and the shooting, but he's confined for now."

"Angela has been working on reengineering the bullet from the pattern in the entry wound. You did say the exit wound would be better, but there's too much damage from the dogs."

"I'll go see how it's coming. Keep working on anything that could tell us more about where she was before the murder, and please make sure Hodgins is trying to identify the origin of the liver scraps. And Zack…"

"Yes, Dr. Brennan?"

"I'm very impressed with the amount of authority and determination you've had in this case."

Brennan climbed the metal steps to the holographic room finding Angela hunched over her desk staring blankly into the computer screen.

"Hey Bren! I see Booth finally let you come in, and thank goodness too. I really need your help with this bullet thing."

"Zack mentioned something about the exit wound being deformed."

"Just take a look," she handed Brennan the skull which had been spinning on a pedestal, "you can clearly see a pattern the bullet left, but at the very edge there are small chips most likely caused when the dogs ripped the skin away." Angela cringed and had the most hurt look on her face.

"I know it's hard to think about, Ange. I really appreciate you doing this. Let me take a look at it and see what I can recover." Angela nodded and gave a weak smile to her best friend.

Brennan followed her usual process. Turning the skull over and over in her hands she studied and scrutinized the chips in the exit wound and the crenulations on the eye sockets. After six hours of searching she found what she was looking for and called her partner.

"Booth, it wasn't a key that was used to cut out the eyes. It was a pocket knife like we originally suspected."

"Dammit! That means I've got to let him go. How do you know?"

"There's one horizontal cut that shows a smooth slice after the nick in the blade that's three eights of an inch long. All keys that are capable of doing this kind of damage have at least one more nick towards the tip of the key."

"You're sure?" Booth huffed with strain in his voice.

"One hundred percent."

"You know what this means don't you?"

"Yep, pick me up at 6:45. We should get pizza tonight. And remember to bring something to do so you don't keep me up all night crinkling pages."

***

"Can we get pepperoni on it this time, pleeeeeease?" Booth begged pulling away from the Jeffersonian.

"You do realize what that is. Pig snouts and feet and little curly tails mashed into a meat log and cooked just enough that all the grease stays in."

"I'm not so sure I want dinner anymore, and don't believe everything you read on the internet."

"I didn't get that from the internet. Hodgins ran a log of pepperoni through the mass spec. and that's what he found."

"No pepperoni then. How about pineapple and mushroom?'

"Sounds delicious!"

"Booth, I'm sorry it didn't turn out to be a key. I know you want to close this case and that was just a setback."

"You don't have to apologize, it's not your fault."

"Yes I know." Booth just flashed his smile again.

"It really means a lot to me that you're staying with me even though it's not necessary."

"Well even if there wasn't a threat on your life there's no one I'd rather spend the night with, Bones."

"Not even Parker?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"I can't stay up late and listen to 'guilty pleasures' with Parker or have pizza with my best friend or talk to you. It's you I'm doing this for Bones." With that comment the partners pulled up to Brennan's building and hopped out. Booth grabbed the pizza and swung his arm around her waist. The stair climb up to the third floor was silent. Brennan stopped Booth as they neared her door.

"What's up Bones?"

"The pieces are starting to fall into place."

"What pieces?"

"You care about me, there's nobody you'd rather spend the night with, you fear for my life, you can't let yourself be mad at me." Booth stood still with a confused look etched into his eyes. "You love me Booth. Don't deny it. I can see it, and I'll call Angela to see if that's what I was supposed to figure out." Through all of her babbling Brennan didn't notice Booth lean in close to her lips and run his fingers across the side of her face into her hair then around her neck.

Just inches from her lips Booth whispered, "You're wrong… I'm absolutely _in _love with you." His lips gently touched hers just enough to feel the hot air pouring out as she hitched nervous breaths then he pulled away and gazed into her partially closed eyes.

"Now let's go eat some pizza, it's getting cold," Booth laughed sweetly walking past Brennan who was stopped dead in her tracks. Before he could get more than two steps passed her she reached out and grabbed his shoulder throwing herself into his arms. Her hands traveled up from his shoulders to his neck then into the hair where her fingers twirled like they had minds of their own. Her lips collided with his in a steamy lock of passion.

"I wouldn't want to have anyone else protect me than you." They tumbled and spun down the hallway trying to find Brennan's door without breaking their kiss. Finally colliding with the doorway Booth reached behind Brennan who he had pinned and shoved open the door which was unlocked from Brennan's abrupt depart. He threw the pizza box on the table keeping the hold and pressed her into the other side of the door.

"I knew something eventful would happen in that hallway."

"I love it when you say things I don't understand."

**Let me know if you didn't understand the Spock comment—it was a long shot or if the dialogue got confusing because I didn't put in a lot of dialogue tags. As always please review and thanks to those who already have!!!**


	6. Anxiety

**HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! LET ME HELP YOU RING IT IN WITH A BRAND NEW CHAPTER! 2010 MEANS NEW BONES AND A PROMISE OF GREATNESS AND HAPPINESS! **

Somehow through the kissing Booth and Brennan made their way to the couch. His hands were wrapped around her back, one hand on her shoulder and one hand on her waist. She had both arms across draped across his neck crossed over each other. Neither said a word.

"Bones," Booth mumbled running a line of kisses up her neck, "We have to stop."

"Why?" Brennan questioned with a twisted face pushing Booth up off of her. "Naturally I'd think that when someone says they're absolutely in love with you, you wouldn't want to stop."

"Trust me, there's nothing I'd rather be doing than this, but the pizza's got to be cold by now, and we both forgot why I'm actually here." He planted one last kiss on her jaw bone and moved to the opposite end of the couch.

"Oh, I guess you're right." She sat up and swung her legs over the edge. They stood up together and walked to the kitchen table where the pizza had barely fallen off the edge. Brennan picked up a slice and took a bite. "Cold. I'll stick it in the oven for a few minutes." Both sat at the heads of the table and stared at each other. Booth wanted to lunge across and engulf her in an attack of adoration for her lips, her body, and her heart.

"I'm going to make a call—in the bedroom—while the oven's warming."

"You're not going to call Angela are you? You know if you do everyone at the Jeffersonian will know by the morning and then everyone at bureau will know by lunch."

"No, I forgot to call my publicist back, it's really important."

Brennan strolled into her room locking the door and grabbed the phone from its cradle. "Hey Ange, it's me. I've only got a few seconds to talk, but I have to tell you—"

"You and Booth kissed."

"That's amazing! How did you know?"

"I can tell by the tone of your voice. You haven't sounded this excited since you bought your tickets to Guatemala last year."

"That's not the only thing. Booth said he's in love with me!" Brennan squealed the last part and clamped and hand over her mouth.

"Sweetie! I'm so happy for you!—"

"Hello Angela—"

"Booth, get off the other line. I have to go Angela, I'll see you tomorrow." Brennan clicked off and marched into the living room with her arms crossed and an outraged look spread across her face. Booth looked the same. Their smiles couldn't hide forever, and in a fountain of laughter their arms met. She placed a sweet kiss on the tip of his nose just as the pizza timer rang.

The partners ate their dinner followed by an average Booth and Brennan conversation about the case, then pie, then the television problem. She cleared the plates and glasses and after one last kiss went to bed and slept soundly through the night.

The same could not be said for Booth whose energy to stay awake all night was fueled by his worry that Brennan didn't love him back. There was a part of him that was so excited to hear her say those five words—I'm in love with you. But there was another part of him that knew she felt love as only a chemical reaction of hormones and nothing more. He thought he saw the love in her eyes when he ended their kiss, but she didn't say anything to Angela, her best friend. His concern turned into anxiety as the sun rose and he heard her alarm ring. She took a shower and got dressed and finally came out to the kitchen. No kisses were exchanged. Just a, "good morning Booth."

"Good morning Bones. Did you sleep alright?"

"Perfectly actually." She made eggs and toast for the both of them. When they finished she locked up and the partners climbed in to the SUV. More normal conversation was exchanged on the ride to the lab. Booth found it harder and harder to mask his sunken heart as he saw the love drain from Brennan's eyes. When they pulled up he reached over and kissed her like it was the last time he would ever see her again.

Brennan walked across the lawn, into the lab, mounted the platform, buttoned her lab coat, and met the smirks of Angela, Zack, and Hodgins.

"Before you guys say anything…I did something bad."


	7. Truth

"Tell me what happened sweetie."

"We were just going to have some pizza at my place, and I finally figured out what you were trying to get me to figure out. So I called him on it, and he said that he's absolutely in love with me. Then I kissed him and then he kissed me and then one thing led to another and—"

"And then?" Angela asked with one eyebrow raised.

"We kissed for a few more minutes on the couch. Then I called you. Then we ate the pizza. Then I went to bed, and Booth stayed up doing whatever it was he was doing. And this morning I made breakfast, Booth drove me here, and when I was getting out of the car we had this really passionate kiss, I swear it was one of the best kisses I've ever had. And now I'm here talking to you."

"So you guys just made out for a while. That's all? I was hoping you were going to tell me something _interesting_ had happened." Angela flashed her smirk.

"You mean like sexual intercourse? No we didn't get to that."

"Hang on. Rewind. When Booth said that he was in love with you what did you say?"

"That's what I did wrong. I do love him. A lot," she sighed, "But when he said just came out and said it like that with no hesitation I thought it would be cliché like a movie if I immediately said it right back. You know like 'I love you! And I love you too'. And with Booth I wanted it to be more than a Hollywood fairytale and be real." Angela could tell Brennan was serious. She was making that face where she looked like she was about to cry and sneeze. Whenever she talked about her parents or Russ or the Truth she had this face. "It's been too long now. I ruined it."

"No sweetie, don't say that."

"What am I supposed to do Ange? If I tell him now he's going to think I felt guilty and I don't really mean it. I don't want to screw this one up."

"I think you need a man's help with this one. Go ask Jack."

"Hodgins? Really?"

"This is out of my hands."

***

"So you and Booth, huh?" asked Hodgins as he slumped into the chair in front of Brennan's desk.

"Yes, it would appear so, but our relationship has no future if you don't help me."

"You did try Angela first right because she's usually the one to go to about these things?"

"She told me to get a man's help."

"Let me guess…he said he loves you and you didn't say it right back and now you don't know when to say it."

"Yes, exactly. How—"

"How did I know? It's the average advice I would give to any man in a brand new relationship. However, I would normally give it to the man, but in your case it seemed appropriate that it would be you asking, not Booth. My advice, if I bared my soul to the woman I'm in love with, and I put our partnership and friendship on the line I wouldn't care where or when she said it back just as long as she told me. Go tell him Dr. B."

"First I have a murderer to catch."

"What? By the where and the when I meant right now. Do you have any idea how much agony he's in wondering if you feel the same way?"

"Never let your personal life get in the way of your work, Jack."

"Zack!"

"Yes Dr. Brennan."

"How does the bullet wound look?"

"I made several molds of the wound and then reengineered the original wound from those. I gave the final to Angela who's working on it right now. Until we figure that out I think we learned everything we can about the remains."

"Even the eye sockets? We're still not sure if it was in fact a key that was used to remove the eyes."

"I'm still working on it."

"Then we haven't learned everything we can."

"Sorry Dr. Brennan."

"Brennan, I did it. You better love me for this," smiled Angela walking into the office, "It was a military grade handgun, and the round matched the one recovered from your jacket."

"Have you matched it to a gun?"

"That's more of an FBI thing, so I'll send the information to Booth right now. Did Hodgins' advice help?"

"I'd rather not talk about that until this is all over, but yes it did help. I know exactly what I need to do."


	8. That Old Black Magic

Brennan's phone rang in her hand just as she picked it up to let her partner know Angela had sent the bullet statistics to ballistics.

"Brennan."

"I got the information your squints found. Ballistics ran it, and you'll never guess who the gun belongs to—Agent Larry Charles."

"FBI agent?"

"Yep, but get this, Larry Charles was killed six weeks ago. His gun was being stored in the evidence archives."

"How does this fit into the case?"

"Charles' partner was Agent Kenton. Kenton became the lead investigator in his partner's murder and was the only person who had access to the case file other than administration. And now the gun is missing," Brennan froze. All of the facts were rushing towards her. He knew about her date. He knew where she was going that night. He knew she was reengineering the bullet. He was the only one with access to the gun. He was walking through the lab.

Brennan watched as Kenton made his way through the rows of desks and the busy interns, smiling at Hodgins hunched over a microscope. She set her phone down on her desk and shuffled some papers to look busy.

"Dr. Brennan, can I have a private word with you about the case?"

"Of course, have a seat on the couch. Can I get you anything? Coffee?" She replied with a shaky voice.

"No thanks. I just need to get what I came for, and I'll be leaving."

"What is it that you came for?"

Suddenly Kenton's attitude changed from innocent to hostile. "Don't be stupid, you know exactly what I want. You're notes, your records, everything you have on the Cugini case and the girl. And don't forget about the bullet. By now I know you've figured it. If Booth gets his hands on that information it's not going to look good for you."

"I'm not letting you out of here with those files Agent Kenton. Besides, there are dozens of security guards on the way to the door. You'd never get more than ten steps outside my door without being handcuffed," Brennan huffed in disbelief.

"That's why you're coming with me."

"I'm not afraid of you. I'm trained in four kinds of martial arts, and I'll take you down."

"But you don't have one of these." Kenton pulled out his ex-partner's gun and set it on the table in front of him. "I've already used this once, and I'll use it again."

Brennan's eyes settled on the weapon that had missed taking her life by just inches. Her palms started dripping with sweat, and all the rational thought was blown out of her mind.

Her panic forced her to comply. "I've got the paperwork on my desk. Don't do anything irrational." She kept her eyes on the gun as she backed towards the front of her desk. The papers were strewn about and with one push she shoved them messily into a file folder purposely knocking her phone into her lab coat pocket. Kenton slowly picked up the gun and swiftly placed it in his jacket.

"Just lock up your office and walk towards the door. If anyone stops you, you are going to the bureau to drop this off. Understand?" Brennan barely nodded her head before Kenton forced her to move. She took small steps to the door and bumped the door-stop with her foot. It rapidly whooshed closed like the beat of Brennan's heart in her ears. They rounded the corner, but before Kenton could push her further, a team of agents leapt from behind desks aiming their guns straight at the pair.

Kenton whipped Brennan into a choke hold causing her arms to fly up to her neck. The papers scattered all over the floor in a splatter chocked out by the shouts of agents. A single sound silenced them all as Brennan's kidnapper placed the gun to her head and cocked the pistol.

He chuckled maliciously murmuring, "Nice and easy boys, nice and easy. Dr. Brennan and I are just going to the bureau to drop off some paperwork. You're going to let us do that."

There was a flash of black to the right as the swat team shuffled behind the beakers and instruments. "You're going to let us do that," Kenton repeated more fiercely. Metallic noises echoed as the agents mounted their rifles onto the metal tables. "You're going to let us do that!" he screamed shoving the gun so hard into Brennan's temple her entire body was bending restrained in his arms.

For the fourth time Kenton repeated himself, but before he could finish a shot was fired from up high. The bullet struck him directly in the frontal lobe, and he bowed in a heap behind Brennan.

She fell to her knees gasping for air as dozens of agents ran towards her and hoisted her by the arms. Through the masses she spotted her partner sprinting down stairs from the upper lounge with a sniper rifle and a bullet proof vest. Her knight.

When he reached the bottom stair their eyes met across the crowded room. That old Black Magic. Her vision tunneled in as he ran into the group of agents and pushed his way through to his partner engulfing her in a massive embrace. Her tears exploded into his shoulder. The chaos around them was nothing compared to overwhelming adoration she had for her hero.

Booth led her to the doors where EMTs were rushing in. It was all just a buzz to Brennan. Finding a quiet place in the corner of the lab Booth unvelcroed his vest and set his gun down.

"It's over, Bones. It's all over. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore, trust me."

In that moment Brennan knew it was true. It had been all along. She loved him just as much as he loved her. Nothing could change that. Hodgins had been right; it didn't matter where or when she told him as long as it was true. She tried to whisper it into his ear, but all that came out was a choke of tears. Now wasn't the moment for her to take control. She just had to trust him to do it for her.


End file.
